Hydraulic engine



3 sheets-sheet, 1j

Patented Oct. 4, 1887.

S. N. KNIGHT.

HYDRAULIC ENGINE.

(No Model.)

NV FETERS. Pham-Lithograph, Wnhnglnn. D. C.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. N. KNIGHT.

HYDRAULIC ENGINE.

No. 371,076. Patented 001;. 4, 1887.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

S. N. KNIGHT.

HYDRAULIG ENGINE.

Patented Oct. 4,l 1887.

FlG,4.

N. Firms, Phuwmhognpm. wnhingvm mc,

UNITED STATES PATENT. Grrrcn. t

SAMUEL N. KNIGHT, OF SUTTER CREEK,-CALIFORNIA.

HYDRAULIC ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371.076. dated Qeteber4, 1887. Application filed September 16, 1856. Seriul'No. 213,731. (Nomodel.)

.To all whom iz; may concern.:

Be it known that l, SAMUEL N. KNIGHT, of Sutter Creek, Amador' county,State of California, have invented an Improvement in Hydraulic Engines;and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My invention relates to certain improvements in hydraulic engines.

It consists of a water-cylinder with a plunger moving therein, apiston-rod connected with the plunger and extending through one end, andhaving a tappet or shipper attached to a erosshead, balancevalves bywhich water is admitted and exhausted alternately from the opposite endsof the cylinder, and a mechanism by which the valves are actuated andbalanced, supplemental safety exhaustvalves, and a means for actuatingthe same when the piston approaches to one end of the cylinder, and acheck valve or valves in connection with this supplemental exhaust.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof my invention, Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section of myengine. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view.Fig. 4 is a detail.

A is the cylinder, having the plunger B, moving within it, and C is thepistonrod, extending out through one end of the cylinder and connectedwith a crosshead,.or in some cases connected with a pumping mechanism.

D are ports at each end of the cylinder A,

, through which water is admitted to drive the plunger alternately fromone end to the other of the cylinder.

E E are valve chambers, which in the present case I have shown madecylindrical, having the feed or water-supply passages F opening into oneside at the center, and the exhaustpassages G, which open from the outerends of the cylinder.

H H are plungers secured to the valve-stem I, which extends through fromone of the valvechambers E to the other, these plungers or valves beingsecured to the stem l, so that when the rod -is moved to one end of oneof the valve-chambers the supply-opening F and the port D will liebetween the two valves or plungers H Hin that cylinder, and the supplyWill pass directly into the engine-cylinder and move the piston fromthat end. The valves H H in the other cylinder will be moved to theinner end, and the feed or supply passage still open between the twowill be cut oi from the cylinderport D. The latter then being outside ofthe outer valve, H, will have free communication with theexhaust-passage G at that end ot the cylinder, so that as the pistonmoves in that direction inthe main cylinder it will exhaust the waterthrough these passages. As the feed or supply passage is always openbetween the two valves or plungers H, whatever may be their position inthe cylinder, it will 'be manifest that the valves are perfectlybalanced, and they can be easily moved, whatever mayl be the pressure inthe supply-pipe.

Midway between the two valve-chambers E is a cylinder, J, containing apiston or plunger, K, which is keyed to the rod I, this rod passingthrough this intermediate cylinder as well as the two valve-chambers E.

L are ports by which water is admitted to the cylinder J at each end,and M M are balance-valves secured to a rod, N, and moving Within avalve-chamber, O.

Y P is a supply-pipe, by which water under pressure is admitted to thecentral portion of the valve-chamber O, and between the valves M, sothat these valves are balanced.

Q Q are exhaust pipes or passages connecting wit-h the ends ofthevalve-chamber O, and the valves M are so moved that when the one to theleft, as shown in Fig. 1, has been moved beyond the ingress end of thecylinder-port L it allows water to pass directly from the supply-pipe Pdirectly into the cylinder J to drive the piston K to the opposite endof its stroke, thereby moving the valves H in the valvechambers E, asbefore described. At the same time the valve M at the right end of thevalvechamber O will have been moved so far toward the left as to passthe end of the cylinder-port L, and thus leave a free communicationbetween it and the exhaust-passage Q at that end. By this mechanism thevalves H, which supply the main cylinder, are operated. The valve-rod Nextends through aguide'or guides, R, which have brackets to which thevalveshipping devices S are fulcrumed, as shown in Fig. l. These devicesare formed of obtuse-angled triangles having a fulcrum -pin passingthrough the vertical side ata-point between the lower angle and theupper acute angle.

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T is an arm or shipper attached to the crosshead U or otherwiseconnected with the main piston-rod C, so as to partake of its motion.

The operation of the angular valve-shipper S is as follows: It hangsfrom its fulcrum so that the side through which the fulcrum-pin passesis nearly or quite vertical and the lower Side of the triangleinclinesdownward from the meeting angle of the two sides. Then the upper end ofthe shipper T strikes the angle of S, it causes the triangular shipperto swing about its fulcrum, and the upper end engaging with acollar, V,which is fixed to the valvered N, it will move the valve-rod, and withit the valves 'Min the valve-chamber O, so as to admit water to theopposite end of the cylinder. The movement of the triangle S about itsfulcrum causes the vertical side to stand at an incline, and this raisesthe lower angle and the lower side sufficiently to allow the upper endof the shipper T to pass beneath it. The object of this is to change thevalves M, and through them the piston K and the valves H; but as thisaction consumes some little time it is necessary that the valves M bemoved before the piston B has reached the full end of its stroke. Forthis reason the upper end of the shipper T strikes the angle of S andshifts the valve before the piston has reached the end of its stroke,and it is then allowed to move beneath the horizontal side of the part Suntil the piston reaches the end of its stroke, or until thewater-supply is reversed. The exhaust-pipes G are carried downward tothe supplemental exhaust-chamber W, opening into it at points on eachside of the center. Corresponding pipes, X, open out from thisexhaust-chamber W, and these pipes are farther apart than the pipes G bya space equal to their full diameter. A rod,Y, passes through thevalve-chamber W, and has secured to it the central plunger, Z, and thetwo exterior ones, a.

b b are springs fixed in the ends ofthe valvechamber WV and pressingagainst the ends of the valves a, the tension being such that thesevalves are ordinarily held just on the outer edges of thedischarge-passages X, while the plunger Z remains midway between thetwo, and thus separates the two exhaust-passages G from each other. Eachpassage G, however, remains in full connection with its owndischarge-passage X upon ihe opposite side ofthe chamber XV, and theexhaust thus takes place through this chamber freely, first through oneside and then through the other. It', however, by any accident the mainpiston should be moved too far in its cylinder, so that there would bedanger of its striking the cylinder-head, this is prevented by means ofa collar, c, which is fixed to the valve-stem Y of the supplementalexhaust-chamber.

d is an arm projecting from the cross-head, so that when the latter hasreached a point in either direction as far as the piston should go thisprojection d strikes the collar c, and this moves the rod Y and the plun gers a far enough so that the exhaust or discharge passage X uponthat side is temporarily closed by the plunger a, which cuts it off.This prevents any further escape of the water from the cylinder andserves as a stop until the valve motion has again been reversed.

This engine is especially useful in connection with pumping mechanism,being operated horizontally and connected by a pitman with apuinp-bob,orit maystandverticallyin linewith the pump-rod and connectdirectly therewith.

As the weight of the pump-rods is usually very considerable in a mine,and it is necessary to regulate thermotion of the engine, especiallybefore the pump-column is entirely filled with water, this I do by meansof checkvalves e, which are connected with the discharge pipes X fromthe supplemental exhaust-chamber NV. By closing these checkvalves, se asto limit the escape of the water, the engine may be made to move asslowly as desired in either direction, and as fast as the pump-columnbecomes filled with water these valves may be opened until the exhaustis left free. This is important in such connection as I have described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The main cylinder with its plunger, plunger-rod,independentvalve-chambers connecting with opposite ends of the cylinder,and having valves arranged with relation to the inlet-passages, asshown, a central cylininder in line with the valvechambers,and having apiston fixed to the valve-rod which passes nthrough it, andasnpplemental valve-chamber,

O, with balance-valves M, fixed to the valvestem, which extends out fromthis chamber parallel with the main plunger-rod,in combination with thetriangularly-fulcrumed shippers S, by which the valve-rod is moved, andthe arm T, fixed to the main cross-head, substantially as described.

2. The main cylinder with its balanced supply and exhaust valves andports, in combination with a supplemental exhaustvalve chamber intowhich the exhaust-passages open, secondary passages opening out of thischamber, and the valves a and Z, fixed to a valverod within saidchamber, together with the springs b, substantially as herein described.

3. The supplemental exhaust-chamber XV, into which the mainexhaust-passages G open, and the secondary discharge-passages X, thevalve-stem with the plungers a and Z secured to it, and the springs b,within the cylinder, in combination with the collar c, secured to thevalve-stem Y, and the shipper or arm d, connected with the mainpistonrod, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

SAMUEL N. KNIGHT. lVitnesses:

S. H. Nouiisn, H. '(1. LEE.

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